Living to make much of Jesus

Hearing God’s Voice Amongst the Clutter of My Own Stubborn Heart

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps…. (Proverbs 16:9).

The Lord is saying something to me, it’s, “Heather, slow down.” I feel my heart running ahead, and I’ve sensed for quite some time the Lord was saying to me, “slow down,” but I kept plowing forward anyway. I have a tendency to do this in my life because I’m just not very good at waiting. However, this morning, I’m listening.

Great plans always come from my mind. At least, they seem like great plans. My timeline seems perfect, the answers to all of my questions seem great and the outcome seems like the perfect fit, but God says, “Heather, I’ve got this.”

Yes Lord, I know, but can you move a little faster, please? Oh, how stubborn I can be with the Lord! Like a child, waiting in the grocery line demanding a candy bar to satisfy my hunger, I have a hard time waiting for the beautiful provision God wants to bring about in His way and in His timing. Whatever gets me to my destination faster seems like the right fit. But, this is not always the case. In fact, it rarely is what’s best for us. We need a heart that is content as we wait upon the Lord. I can plan and prepare all I want, but this only keeps me from truly being able to hear the voice of God clearly.

Our minds are so full of our own good ideas that we often drown out of the voice of God. Simply because we’ve contemplated our own ideas more than seeking Him and His will for our lives. I’m just saying that because I know I’ve done it. In fact, I feel myself doing it now in this present season.

I heard a great sermon yesterday that challenged me to set aside my own wishes, wants and desires and get in a place of stillness and quietness before the Lord. We cannot hear rightly from God if we have not silenced our hearts and minds before Him. Many of us don’t hear very often from God because we do not create quiet places of rest within our lives. Since there are no rhythms of rest, there is little space for God to speak.

Another thing I’m finding is that because I let go of faith and held fast to doubt, there is a lot of clutter in my mind which makes it hard for me to truly hear God’s voice because I keep being met with another box full of thoughts of doubt and unbelief. Until I clean out the clutter and replace those lies with God’s truth, I will have a hard time hearing His voice.

Lord, I want to hear your voice. In fact, I long to hear from you. I have to hear from you because my own voice is so loud. God, forgive me for my impatience and my stubbornness. Forgive me that I hold fast to so much unbelief. Today, I want to quiet myself before you, because I must hear your voice alone. Lord, let that be true, I pray, in Jesus name, Amen.

Amen, it seems that satan always tries to attack our quiet times with God, usually through distractions and poor time management. It is no wonder that many Christians feel God doesn’t speak, when in reality we just don’t listen. Great post! and God bless